quislibet | The long delayed return... (Reply)

... of Latin for Gamers!

I haven't looked this over, and it was 98.3% written almost a year ago, even the HTML, and just pasted blindly in. Criticism welcome (the pronunciation guide could especially use some refinement) but I will not immediately engage in dialogue about it for a week or two, I expect.

PART WHATEVER: Verbal Components (in progress)

Everyone knows that spell-casting means speaking in Latin! From Buffy to Harry Potter to Ars Magica to Ambrose and/or Magellan in The Gamers, all it takes to unleash powers beyond mortal ken is to intone a simple phrase in Latin or near-Latin!

Well: Obviously this is not true, or else more classicists would be employed, and the already employed ones would all have tenure and wouldn't need to worry about their departments being eliminated in the next budget crisis. Still, at the risk of perpetuating this faulty belief in the uncanny might of Latin, I provide some handy spell-casting phrases for use with almost any game system (any game system with spell-casting, that is), along with a rough pronunciation guide based on a scholarly reconstruction of classical (as opposed to medieval or ecclesiastical) Latin pronunciation as taught in south central Ohio in the mid 1980s, simplified for your convenience and spelled sometimes phonetically, sometimes like English words that sound closest to what I'm getting at. Roll your Rs a bit and you'll be fine.

This is, in case it needs to be said, imaginary except as far as the grammar goes. "Latin for Gamers" does not purport to be an introduction to the Occult Arts, or even to claim that any such Arts exist outside your RPG rulebooks, and is not responsible for any accidental explosions, transmutation of the GM, summoning of Hastur, looking like an idiot, worrying your parents, or other magical or non-magical mishaps.

I am throwing a ball of fire.

Globum ignis mitto.

GLOW-boom IG-niss MIT-toe.

I control your mind(s). Obey my commands.

Rego mentem tuam (mentes vestras). Pare (parete) iussis meis.

RAY-go MEN-tem TOO-am (MEN-tehss WES-trahss). PAH-reh (pah-RAY-teh) YOO-seess MEH-eess.

Let there be opened a portal to hell!
Pateat atri ianua Ditis!
PAH-tay-at AH-tree YAH-noo-ah DEE-teess.

Sleep!

Dormi! (pl. Dormite!)

DOOR-mee! (dor-MEE-teh!)

I call upon the aid of the Interposing (Grasping; Crushing) Hand!
Auxilium invoco manus interponentis (prehendentis; contundentis)!
owk-SIL-ee-um in-VOH-koh MAH-noose in-tehr-poh-NEN-tiss (preh-hen-DEN-tiss; kon-toon-DEN-tiss)!

Let there be light!

Fiat lux!

FEE-aht LUKES! [by which I mean, pronounced as 'more than one Luke,' like when there were all those Skywalker clones in that one comic, or maybe I'm making that up]

In the name of that one holy guy, may that thing happen that, it seems to me, I am pretty sure should probably happen now! I think. Please.

In nomine illius sancti, fiat id quod, ut videtur mihi, paene pro certo habeo nunc probabiliter faciendum esse! Ut reor. Si placet.

in NOH-mee-nay ILL-lee-ooss SONK-tee, FEE-aht id kwohd, oot wee-DAY-toor MEE-hee, PIE-nay pro CARE-to HAH-bay-oh noonk pro-ba-BIL-ih-tair fah-kee-EN-doom ESS-seh! oot RAY-or. see PLAH-ket.

I invoke you, gods above (and) (below)!

Vos invoco, di superi (et) (inferni)!

WOHSS in-VOH-koh, DEE SOO-per-ee (ETT) (in-FAIR-nee)!

Give me...

Da (pl. date) mihi...

DAH (DAH-teh) MEE-hee...

strength	vires	WEER-ehss
the power of healing	potestatem medendi	poe-tes-TAH-tem meh-DEN-dee
the power of prophecy	potestatem divinandi	poe-tes-TAH-tem dee-wee-NAHN-dee
a sign	portentum	por-TEN-toom
what I desire	id quod desidero	id quohd deh-SEE-deh-roh
your pants	bracas tuas (pl: vestras)	BRA-cahss TOO-ahss (WESS-trahs)
absolute dominion over all things	dominationem absolutam omnium rerum	doe-mih-nah-tee-OH-nem ahb-so-LOO-tahm OM-nee-um REH-rum
victory	victoriam	week-TOR-ee-ahm
vengeance	ultionem	ool-tee-OH-nem
death	mortem	MOR-tem
a drink	potum	POE-toom
something nice	aliquid gratum	AH-lee-quid GRAH-toom
all your money	totam pecuniam tuam (pl: vestram)	TOE-tahm peh-KOO-nee-ahm TOO-ahm (WESS-trahm)
cheese	caseum	CAH-seh-um